Malverjsi



(No Model.)

M. W. ILES 82; .IE. KEIPER. MATTE POT FOR SMELTING FURNACES.

No. 335,224. Patented Feb.'2 .1886.

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NITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

MALYERN \V. ILES AND FREDRICK KEIPER, OF DENVER, COLORADO; SAID KEIPER ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS 'RlGl'lT TO SAID HJFS.

MATTE-POT FOR SMELTlNG-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,224, dated February 2, 1886.

Application filed October 26, 1885. Serial No. 190,935. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: and an overflow of slag practically free from Be it known that we, MALVERN V. ILES and matte. FREDRICK KEIPER, citizens of the United Our invention will be best understood by States, and residents of Denver, in the county reference to the accompanying drawings, form 55 of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have ining a part of this specification, in whichvented certain new and useful Improvements Figure 1. is a vertical section, Fig. 2, a in DIatte-Pots forSmelting Furnaces, of which plan view of the matte-pot and cover, and the following is a specification. Fig. 3 a sectional view ofthe discharge-spout.

Our invention relates to an improved form Similar-letters refer to similarpartsthrouglr 60 IO of matte-pot, which is used in connection with out the several views.

furnaces for smelting silver, lead, copper, and In all three of the views,A represents a large other ores; and the object of the same is to efmatte-pot, made of cast-iron or of other confeet a quick, economical, and more perfect venient metal, of the shape shown or of any separation in smelting of the mattes rich in other shape that will enable it to be conven- 6 5 1 precious metals from the poor slags than has iently dumped. Its dimensions will vary ac hithereto been possible. cording to the size of the furnace in connec- Heretofore many attempts have been made tion with which it is used. This potis mounted to interpose a large pot in front of a smelting upon wheels, as shown in the views, whereby furnace for the accumulation of the matte, it may be rolled to and from the tap-hole of 0 and to allow the slag to run off therefrom by the furnace at pleasure.

means of a suitable trough at the top of the F is a spout for discharging the slags, and pot. Such atttemptshave, however, gradually may be cast directly upon the pot or be combeen abandoned, owing to the difficulty eX- posed of a separate and detachable casting perienced in manipulating the pot and to the attached in any suitable manner, as may be 75 incompleteness of the separatiomas well as to found most convenient.

other causes. The cover B may be made of cast-iron or \Vhen mattes and slags are tapped from a other suitable metal, and is of the shape shown smeltingfurnace into a large pot having a in the views. The cover is slightly spherical suitable dischargespout at the top,the mattes in shape, and is raised at the point H, so that S0 0 will settle almost completely to the bottom, the slags may flow from the tap-hole uninter and the slags will rise thereon, and as soon as ruptedly into the pot A. The raised portion the pot becomes full the slag will begin to flow H is preferably made with flat side walls, K K, off through the spout, and for a short and which flare slightly inward, as shown. varying interval of time be free from matte. The objectof making the side walls of the 5 The slag will, nevertheless, soon commence to raised portion flaring is to prevent the chilled carry off with it portions of the matte, owing slag from causing the cover to bind, and there to the fact that it cools rapidly and forms a by causing difficulty and delay in working. crust at the top, which causes the matte to The cover is held upon the pot by means of settle incompletely. the offset or flange 1?, as shown in the views. 0

To obviate the cooling of the mass and to By means of this flange the slag is prevented prevent the formation ofthe crust,it was somefrom issuing through the joint or crack betimes customary to place charcoal or other tween the cover and the pot, and the slag can combustible material upon the top of the be allowed to rise to a point higher than the matte-pot, which was necessarily both tedious exit-trough, so that it may come in contact 5 5 and troublesome. with the slightly spherical cover and there be- We have discovered that by means of a come chilled, forming acrust which serves the peculiar form of cover, hereinafter described, purpose of retaining the heat within the pot. placed upon a particular form of matte-pot In the raised portion H of the cover is we are able to successfully overcome the aboveplaced an opening, E, as shown in the views,

5o mentioned difficulty, and to obtain in the which may be of any convenient form, but matte-pot a perfect accumulation of matte preferably either circular,withadianieter from one and one-half to two inches, or elliptical.

The object of this opening is to enable a pointed bar to be introduced for breaking the shellcrust as occasion may require.

D is a metal ring screwed or otherwise attached to the top of the cover, for the purpose of enabling it to be easily removed.

G is a semicircular nick or cut in the edge of the cover B, for the purpose of opening or closing the spout F. \Vhen placed upon the pot, the cover is so turned that the cut G shall come directly over the spout.

The method of operation of the pot is as follows: The pot is first coated-or washed with a solution of lime-water, and the cover B placed upon it, as shown, and the pot is then run up to the'furnace, where the spout of the tap-hole fits tightly into the raised part of the cover H. All joints are then carefully closed with a fragment of clay, and the furnace allowed to run until the pot is full. As soon as the slag begins to flow through the spout F, the fiow at the spout and at the furnace is cut off. A small slag-buggy of the ordinary character is then run up to the spout F, and the tapping into it commenced by breaking the crust through the slot or opening G. As soon as the slag begins to runinto the pot, the crust is broken through the opening E, and the tap hole of the furnace opened. The slag and mattes thereupon commence to run into the pot, and as fast as one slag-buggy is filled it is wheeled away and a fresh one run up. \Vhen the furnace comes to a blow, or when the large pot gets full of matte, the tap-hole is closed by means of a plug of clay, and the pot removed. The level of the slag in the matte-pot gradually rises until it chills upon the under side of the cover, thereby retaining the heat in the matte-pot to a marked degree. The tapping into the matte pot is continued until the upper surface of the matte is from four to six inches below the rim of the pot, which, however, can only be ascertained by practice. Thus, for example, in practice, twenty-five buggies full of useless slag are drawn off from the mattepot, and the last five of these are saved. If matte is found in the twenty-third or twenty fourth buggy, at least twenty buggies full can be thrown away. If, however, no matte is found in the twenty-fifth pot, the number of buggies that can be run at one tapping can be safely increased. By an examination of the contents of the first few series of small slag-pots which are tapped from the mattepot it is possible to ascertain the number of tappings that can be made with safety through the pot. \Vhen full, the contents of the mattepot may be drawn off by breaking a hole in the solidified crust at or near the rim of the pot, and allowing the matte in the center of the mass to flow off into a series of small pots placed upon a lower level, leaving the crust or shell in the pot. When such portions of the slag as are still liquid begin to run, the pouring shouldbe stopped.

The advantages of our apparatus are as follows: By means of it a large amount of handlabor in separation and transportation is saved, the mattes are concentrated into one large vessel and handling in small slag-buggies is avoided, the danger of the mattes mixing with the slag caused by collecting the mattes from a large number of small pots is avoided, especially where the percentage of copper in the mattes increases, and where sulphide of zinc is present in the slag, and a small portion only of the material tapped from the furnace has to be treated over againnamely, the contents of the matte-pot and of the last few buggies.

\Ve claim as our invention- 1'. The combination, with a matte-pot having a discharge-spout at. its upper rim, of a dome-shaped cover fitting tightly over said pot, and a horizontal opening in said cover, substantially as described, into which the discharge-spout of the furnace fits closely.

2. The combination, with the matte-pot A, having a discharge-spout, F, at its upper rim, of the dome-shaped cover B, fitting tightly over said pot, the flat portion H, with the beveled side walls, K K, forming a horizontal opening in said cover, fitting over the discharge-spout of the furnace, the poke-hole E in the fiat surface of said cover, and the opening G over the spout F, for opening and clos ing said discharge-spout.

3. In a matte-pot, the combination, with the cover B, of the poke-hole E, whereby access is obtained to the interior of the mattepot.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, with the mattepot A, pro vided with a discharge-spout, F, at its upper rim, of the dome-shaped cover B and the slot or opening G at the edge ofs'aid cover and over said discharge-spout, whereby the same may be opened and closed at pleasure.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, with the matte-pot A, having a discharge-spout, F, at its upper rim, whereby its contents may be drawn off, of the dome-shaped cover B, with the interior flange, I, fitting tightly over said pot, the flat surface H, with the beveled side walls, K K, forming a horizontal opening in said cover and fitting over the discharge-spout of the furnace, the poke-hole E in the flat surface of said cover, and the opening G over the spout F, for opening and closing said discharge-spout.

Signed at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, this'7th day of October, A. D. 1885.

MALVERN W. ILES. FREDRIOK KEIPER. Witnesses:

EDUARD RALLAUDET, M. P. CQCHRANE. 

